Some advice for those of you thinking about college...

Good thread jaded! I see a lot of similarities between me and you. I started off school at the University of Arizona, partying 4 or 5 nights a week, skipping class, and skating by with a 2.2 or 2.3 GPA every semester. It was fun, but not fulfilling at all. I finally manned up, finished out my last semester there on the Dean's List, and moved back to Seattle with no job, no place to live, and no acceptance into a University.

I ended up getting a job pretty quick, staying with a friend for a bit, and started at Shoreline Community College. Got straight A's there for two quarters and was then accepted into the University of Washington. Did two quarters of filling out my pre-reqs with a 3.4 GPA and now I am accepted into the Business School, where I will go for a Finance concentration. I've been setting goals pretty high for myself. My cumulative for all of the college credits I have is around a 3.27. I really want to be able to graduate with my cumulative above a 3.5. My UW GPA should be over that easily by then, but as far as my cumulative goes...

It kind of pisses me off sometimes because all of my high school friends and friends that I made my first year at UA are now graduating. They had their parents pay for everything and didn't have to deal with working and all the personal shit I went through. They are graduating debt free. But in the end it is all about taking your own path. My parents can't afford to help me but you make it work. Gotta work full-time on top of taking a full-load of classes, fuck it, make it work. It's taking me a bit longer, but I don't really give a shit.

As for whoever asked about the first year being the easiest, I don't think so. First, you're dealing with new responsibilities and freedoms that you haven't had before. Second, you are taking mostly stupid electives that have nothing to do with what you want to study, and I'm sorry but it's really hard for me to try in a gay ass class about philosophy or some shit. I'm a business major, put me in some classes for that my first year. The classes I do best in are ones that are in my major, because I actually enjoy the material and I am motivated to get a good education in the field I want to be in.

And as far as what school you attend, I do think it matters. I have friends who graduated from Washington State University (not a great academic reputation) doing jobs in fucking retail positions and not using their degree at all. I have friends who graduated from UA or UW who have pretty decent-paying jobs that have to do with what they studied. Just entry-level shit but at least within their field and not on the retail floor.

Edit: I'm also considering getting my MBA after college. Shit's expensive though. I would either wait until I had all of my student loan debt from my undergrad paid off or until I could find a job that would help me pay for that shit. A MBA from UW's Foster school of business is straight crack, and the average student had like a 3.3 undergrad GPA and a 645 GMAT. I think that is definitely doable.

At least you are back on the right track now, that's what counts. My cousin got a 630 on the GMAT and all he did to study was review the practice material on their website, so I'm sure if you actually got a book and prepped for it, or even saved some money to go through a prep class, you'd crush it.

I'd also just like to add that even though my parents paid our tuition, me and my brother worked part-time during the semester and full-time on breaks. Probably not as much as most, but we've worked since we were 16. It was important to our parents that we learn the value of the dollar by working to earn money and buy our own things.

I really don't care to go back and forth with you on this, I stated my opinion and people are free to read it and take what they want from it. And defaults on student loans didn't trigger our recession, defaults on subprime mortgages did when the housing market collapsed. You can educate yourself about it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late-2000s_financial_crisis

My friend spent $10,000 applying to medical schools and is at least a couple hundred thousand dollars in debt after paying for his time there, but that's what you have to do to become a doctor. Debt is a major part of education for most people, but if it helps you achieve your goals, it really shouldn't be an issue.

You clearly know nothing about our education system here. What's with all the March 2011 members trolling this thread?

My first point is that I never said STUDENT loans caused the recession but banks loaning money is what caused it (a mortgage is a type of loan).
Maybe saying that its reserved for the rich was a little sensational but there is definitely truth in this because in order to pay the debts you have to be rich and yes there are cases of dirt poor people going on into further education... but you cant deny that being rich (not always immensely) gives you an advantage.
And this is my last comment on this thread because I cant argue with someone this arrogant and patronizing.

My first point is that I never said STUDENT loans caused the recession but banks loaning money is what caused it (a mortgage is a type of loan).
Maybe saying that its reserved for the rich was a little sensational but there is definitely truth in this because in order to pay the debts you have to be rich and yes there are cases of dirt poor people going on into further education... but you cant deny that being rich (not always immensely) gives you an advantage.And this is my last comment on this thread because I cant argue with someone this arrogant and patronizing.

WOAOOOAOOAHHHH BRROOOO. good point man. i also heard that if you have a car you automatically have an advantage of getting somewhere faster than someone walking.

My first point is that I never said STUDENT loans caused the recession but banks loaning money is what caused it (a mortgage is a type of loan).Maybe saying that its reserved for the rich was a little sensational but there is definitely truth in this because in order to pay the debts you have to be rich and yes there are cases of dirt poor people going on into further education... but you cant deny that being rich (not always immensely) gives you an advantage.And this is my last comment on this thread because I cant argue with someone this arrogant and patronizing.

Yeah, I can deny it, and I do. I'm glad you're staying out of this thread from this point on, because you haven't added anything positive to it, and the comments you have added are so far off base I don't even know how you came up with them.

I really don't even know how you could read my posts in this thread and conclude that I'm arrogant and patronizing. The whole goal of this thread is to offer some advice to people in the hope that they don't make the same mistakes I did when I got to college. How is that arrogant? And who am I patronizing? all I have done is offer encouragement to anyone who is in the same position.

This thread is 7 pages of people who are in or have gone through a similar situation and are offering positive feedback, and you come in here and offer absolutely nothing. If anyone has been arrogant and patronizing in this thread, it's you.

Like I said earlier in the thread, it was never low enough to warrant academic probation, but it was pretty pathetic. It's very difficult to get yourself out of a hole like that, but I was able to finish with a 3.0 cumulative, which is fairly respectable, and I finished out my last years there with about a 3.2 average. I have no one to blame for my performance those first couple years but myself. It wasn't that the classes were exceedingly difficult, I was just unwilling to dedicate any time to homework and studying. I graduated top 10 in high school and received several academic awards and scholarships, but when I got to college, I just let a really shitty attitude take over, and I put way too much importance on dicking around with my friends.

The Master's program will look at my last 60 units and average my GPA from that, because those are my upper division courses that I took for my major, and that's what they care about. My average GPA from my last 60 units is a 3.3, so with a decent score on the GMAT, I will be fine.

damn, thats some good stuff diggin out of that hole man. hope ya stick with that attitude. youll be successful if ya do. imma try and be on this tip when i get back to school come fall.

You'll be glad you did. I was in pretty bad shape there, but it goes to show that it's not impossible to get back up to a respectable GPA if you're willing to put the time and effort in. Plus, when you get into upper division courses, you will start getting classes that are worth 4,5, and even 6 units instead of the usual 3 unit courses, so getting in A in those really helps.

There was a lot of great knowledge dropped in this thread. I'd just like to add, there are tons and tons of people/resources in your college/university that are willing to help you if you are struggling. Don't be afraid to use the free tutor services or group sessions, or even office hours with the professor (or TA). This is something I wish I dropped my pride for and utilized all four years as opposed to just towards the end.

Yeah, I can deny it, and I do. I'm glad you're staying out of this thread from this point on, because you haven't added anything positive to it, and the comments you have added are so far off base I don't even know how you came up with them.

I really don't even know how you could read my posts in this thread and conclude that I'm arrogant and patronizing. The whole goal of this thread is to offer some advice to people in the hope that they don't make the same mistakes I did when I got to college. How is that arrogant? And who am I patronizing? all I have done is offer encouragement to anyone who is in the same position.

This thread is 7 pages of people who are in or have gone through a similar situation and are offering positive feedback, and you come in here and offer absolutely nothing. If anyone has been arrogant and patronizing in this thread, it's you.

hey sorry about causing any distress
this is the last time i let my brother on my account

Still college is not the end all be all... But it's a qualification that's worth getting. I hate the fact that people try to shit on the Bill Gates argument... It's valid because it's a fact that if you have a service to provide that is or will be in demand you can sell it-college degree or not. It does not matter if Bill Gates went to Harvard or Everest College.. How do you explain Larry Ellison then ? Or Sir. Richard Branson ? It's a fact that most people that go to school just get by (especially business students) and forget everything when it's all done. There are a few people who have it and a large number that don't. Most people go to school to work for someone else for the rest of their lives, when in schools like Harvard they teach you that making a job is much better than getting one, and you can do that without a degree. My point is college is NOT the end all be all... You can go to school but if you are not the kind of person that have other necessary skills to make it to the top you won't get there, and let's be honest for the most part the majority of students do not have those skills.

this goes for anyone who has a degree right now--at this point, do you think a degree is really worth the time, money, and effort these days? i feel like nowadays a degree is a dime a dozen. not to mention everyone else is trying to get one. there's even people on youtube swearing their degree is worthless and burn them on camera lol. plus i just feel like a degree doesn't get you really far in today's economy..

an alternative i'm looking at right now is either getting into a trade school, and work toward some sort of crash-course degree so i can join the work force and get my money up

i've yet to decide a career path for me so i feel like that's the reason for my lack of motivation in school. and lacking motivation for school is balls.

this goes for anyone who has a degree right now--at this point, do you think a degree is really worth the time, money, and effort these days? i feel like nowadays a degree is a dime a dozen. not to mention everyone else is trying to get one. there's even people on youtube swearing their degree is worthless and burn them on camera lol. plus i just feel like a degree doesn't get you really far in today's economy..

an alternative i'm looking at right now is either getting into a trade school, and work toward some sort of crash-course degree so i can join the work force and get my money up

i've yet to decide a career path for me so i feel like that's the reason for my lack of motivation in school. and lacking motivation for school is balls.

Think of it this way. Would you rather be the guy with a degree or the guy with a high school diploma?

Look up the average income for someone with a diploma as compared to a college degree.

reread my post. i go to college, i agree with jaded --on most points-- and im actually trying to do better in college myself. yes taking my loved ones on extravagant vacations would be great. if you think that anything short of grinding for years, getting extremely lucky and ending up as the next mark zuckerberg or literally sucking a dick is gonna give you the chance to do that then your an ignorant ass niqqa. a college degree isnt what it used to be, we all know that. it is important to do the best we can to have a chance like you said, i just believe it would be best to balance the importance and priorities of things instead of letting our education comsume every minute of our young lives.

and also, you seem to think commas and periods are the same. they are not. and you expect me to take you seriously? simp.

Wow grammar police,I hope u do as well in ur classes as u do in a hb thread, yes and ur still a simp, u don't have to agree with me, that's why Its called an opinion, if u can't find balance and if u don't take at least school or check some of my post mr. Professor, even a trade school is better then not achieving a personal goal jack wad,all I am saying if can't dedicate ur self whether being a made man with ur own business or striving to graduate at a young age, then WTF are doing with ur life, tryin to help somebody realize this shit bc I have been through it,with age comes wisdom, hopefully ur sheep ass will see this,never said not to have fun but if u are in school take it seriously at least for ur parents
Edit: I used all commas and grammatical errors on purpose.

this goes for anyone who has a degree right now--at this point, do you think a degree is really worth the time, money, and effort these days? i feel like nowadays a degree is a dime a dozen. not to mention everyone else is trying to get one. there's even people on youtube swearing their degree is worthless and burn them on camera lol. plus i just feel like a degree doesn't get you really far in today's economy..

an alternative i'm looking at right now is either getting into a trade school, and work toward some sort of crash-course degree so i can join the work force and get my money up

i've yet to decide a career path for me so i feel like that's the reason for my lack of motivation in school. and lacking motivation for school is balls.

I think it is. Once you start looking at career type jobs, I think you'll begin to find that most of them like to see a bachelor's degree. Go on Monster.com and start looking up jobs you think you might like to do, and look at their minimum requirements. A majority will probably expect a bachelor's. If degrees didn't advance your career, then they wouldn't have things like executive MBA's. An executive isn't going back to school for fun, he/she is going back because having the MBA will help them keep moving up. Same reason people go on to get master's and PhD's in their field.

Trade schools are fine too, but you have to really enjoy the trade for it to pay off. Electrician's make great money, but do you want to do that the rest of your life if it's not something you really enjoy doing? A degree gives you the opportunity to explore different options, a trade allows you to do one thing specifically.

Personally, I think if you went and completed a degree, you'll be happy you did in the long run. Plus there's always a master's degree you could go back and do and even a doctorate after that if you wanted. Just try to think ahead to your future, and think about what would be best for you. Consider this: what if you went to trade school and worked in a trade for 10 years or so and came to the realization that you weren't happy doing it, and wished you could do something else. Wouldn't you rather have a bachelor's to fall back on at that point?

^well sure, but what about the work experience and whatever trade degree i would earn?

also, that's compared with a BA? fuck it mayne... i might just get serious about joining the air force and becoming a loadmaster...

pause.

getting a trade degree is fine if you want to do the same thing all of your life. an actual college degree allows you versatility. simply having a college degree makes you more likely to be hired. if you get a trade degree in woodcutting, the only thing you will ever be qualified to do is woodcutting. forever.

Has it occured to you that getting loans easily is what put the US and other countries in the reccession and now banks are probably extremely reluctant to give out loans willy nilly, yes I know theres other ways of getting money but what may cause people to avoid going is the debt they put themselves in with no real promise of a career at the end, its the debt they may not be able to afford.
My parents want me to go to uni in countries like Holland or Denmark where the fees are cheaper, theres better standard of living and its all taught in English.

lol you think america is in debt because of student loans?hell no.

the reason fees are cheaper in other countries is because their governments spend more on funding for college/education as apposed to dumbass military shit. education is about one of the only things we should be spending money on and yet we drop more bombs everyday. not saying you shouldnt go to school overseas, and i agree there are better systems in places like europe. but i just dont see how student loans plays into it. they are pretty minuscule in the big picture

the reason fees are cheaper in other countries is because their governments spend more on funding for college/education as apposed to dumbass military shit. education is about one of the only things we should be spending money on and yet we drop more bombs everyday. not saying you shouldnt go to school overseas, and i agree there are better systems in places like europe. but i just dont see how student loans plays into it. they are pretty minuscule in the big picture

He already apologized for those posts and said it wasn't him posting them, so let's try to avoid getting on the topic of the recession and the causes behind it. I don't want this to turn into a political thread.

Yes college is important, not just for the degree but the discipline it teaches you.. responsiblity, communication with others as well as sacrifice and reward.

Degrees themselves are not really "important" as shit is only a piece of paper, but its the background/education/perseverence a degree has given a person. More so, the degree (type and from what school) along with GPA one has gotten may prove to be a bit more telling about the skills.

Now when I interview new grads vs. senior positions at my company, I look for what type of degree a person has but after the point of 5 years experience, I care more for the experience/resume/interview than just a degree

When you're in the industry for awhile and see many resumes, degrees and such really only matter in new hires (which school a person went to, etc and their GPA).

I'm in the software / entertainment industry out in silicon valley so I cant speak on other fields of industry (medicine/law/etc) but for the most part for engineering (software/hardware/mechanical/etc).. this is how it is...

long story short, stay in school, concentrate and dont just pass with a 2.0 but try your best and strive and when you're out in the real world, network yourself, dont burn any bridges and make your first impression on people count. Because that's what they'll remember about you...

BS computer science / computer engineering (should enjoy or at least good to semi-good at calculus,math,programming, logic in college)

Engineering Dev Director @ Software / entertainment industry..

if u live in tech sector (bay area, colorado, texas, washington state, etc) with a degree like that and enjoy working with computers and technology (and are semi- to skilled), you wont be out of a job for long (if you get laid off) even with recession... and pay can be easily in 6 figs with 5+ years experience depending on area of expertise.

may want to pursue MBA (masters of Business administration) in the future and for most part, many of the high tech employers will pay for your post graduate schooling as long as you stay @ the company for 1+ years after you get your MBA (since they believe you will be more valuable to their company)